Courtesy Photo Rogers City's Aaron J. Veselenak has written a book called "Silent Springs the Panther: Historic Accounts of Michigan Big Cat Attacks."

ROGERS CITY — Aaron J. Veselenak is fascinated with big cats, from panthers to cougars to mountain lions, which are often interchangeable terms.

The Rogers City area author has published a book, “Silent Springs the Panther — Historic Accounts of Michigan Big Cat Attacks,” by Mission Point Press.

While the title does include the word “attack,” Veselenak has a strong affinity for the mysterious big cats, and he does not wish to put them in a negative light. However, the book does include historic accounts of attacks in Michigan and the Midwest over the years.

“Through meticulous research, author Aaron Veselenak has uncovered a significant number of terrifying yet fascinating historical encounters whereby humans, usually the top predators in all of Animalia, became or nearly became the prey of the largest and most fearsome of Michigan’s native cat species — Felis concolor — a creature of many different names,” the back cover explains. “By bringing forth these thrilling accounts, ‘Silent Springs the Panther’ is meant to appeal to lovers of both history and the natural environment.”

Veselenak lives in Ocqueoc Township, about 18 miles north of Rogers City near Hammond Bay. He was born and raised in Rogers City.

“Silent Springs the Panther” is his second book. His first one came out in 2012, called “Swamp Rattler — Facts, History and Status of Michigan’s Sole Venomous Serpent.”

“That was on the eastern massasauga rattlesnake of Michigan,” Veselenak said.

He finds it interesting to learn about animals that can be dangerous. His take is that there’s a lot to be admired about these mysterious creatures.

“Since I was a little kid, I’ve always been thrilled by dangerous animals,” he said. “Animals that could potentially and sometimes do kill human beings, whether it’s a snake or an alligator or crocodile or some type of bear, or many of the big cats around the world. I’ve always been interested and captivated by animals that would be considered dangerous to not only other animals, but to humans.”

He said a healthy fear of certain animals is not a bad thing, but he encourages people to learn more about those animals to know why they might attack. Do they feel threatened? Are they hungry? Does the thrill of the hunt motivate them to strike?

“We may not have the body strength of every other animal, but we certainly have the brain — the cerebral functioning — that is highly superior to that of other animals,” Veselenak said. “Yet there are other animals that can very easily, under the right circumstances, … render us not so superior.”

He said “Silent Springs the Panther” is the product of many years of research. After compiling a host of information about big cats, he decided about three years ago to put it together and publish a book.

“I got online and and did all kinds of research, especially utilizing all the digitization that they have now or the old newspapers going back, in some cases, almost 200 years,” he said.

He said adult male cougars (or panthers or pumas, which all have only slight genetic differences) can range in size from about 110 to 250 pounds.

He added, “250 pounds would be very rare. The biggest of the biggest.”

Females are typically smaller than the males.

He said the big cats are curious, smart animals who seek activity to keep themselves engaged.

“Like any predatory animal, they’re gonna be opportunistic,” he said. “If they’re hungry and they haven’t had luck … if they haven’t had their normal course in a while, well … humans could be on the menu now. Humans are not their ordinary prey, though. Depending on where they are in the Western Hemisphere, it might be mountain goats … it might be whitetail deer.”

He said they also eat squirrels, rabbits, turkeys, and other birds.

Big cats generally avoid wolves, because they travel in packs, and one cougar would not fare well against a pack of wolves.

“They are solitary,” Veselenak said of cougars. “They only hunt by themselves. The only time you’ll see cougars together is when it’s a male and female when they’re mating in October over a two-week period, or it’s the mother raising its cub for up to a year or two … until they know they’re not babies anymore.”

He said it is unclear how many cougars are in Michigan, but his research has shown that the number may be higher than we think, because big cats hide and try to avoid humans most of the time.

“Silent Springs the Panther” is available on Amazon.com.

Reach News Community Editor Darby Hinkley at 989-358-5691 or dhinkley@TheAlpenaNews.com.